Company Claims Submitting Negative Yelp Review Violates Contract
from the well,-don't-sign-such-contracts dept
Patty points us to a Reddit post where someone claims that after posting a negative Yelp review, the company being reviewed threatened the reviewer with legal action, claiming that the review violated a contract that the customer had signed. The business apparently is one that repairs damaged hard drives or recovers data off of them. The customer was clearly not satisfied. Where it gets strange though is that the company claims that the negative review violates the signed contract. As per standard Reddit practices, the details of the company are redacted, so it's a bit difficult to dig into the facts here. However, it seems likely that this threat is more about getting the person to back down than any realistic shot at legal action. One would hope the company would realize that if it actually took legal action, that information would spread far and wide across the internet, and would probably do significantly more harm than any single bad review on Yelp...
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Epic Data Recovery Labs
I have never seen a business with this low a rating on Yelp and spend way too much time on Yelp.
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Hell,
Just saying, a couple bad reviews just means you've been around long enough to piss off somebody. Good for you! (Who cares?) Keep doing what you're doing as long as people are willing to pay you for it.
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Streisand HD Repair
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Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
If you're pissing off everybody, stop doing what you're doing.
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Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
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Re: Hell,
Also this whole thing is barely post-worthy since it was just a guy emailing a threat.. there was no actual filing, and the actual email looks like it was copy and pasted from a 16 year old and edited by an 8 year old.
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- Owner refuses to respond to customer
- Owner is withholding customer's property
- Owner is threatening to sue for negative Yelp reviews
- Supposed contract states "and/or Anything other than a positive basic Review (anywhere in any form)"
- Owner appears to be posting fake positive Yelp reviews
- Website links to Digg and looks like it was made on Geocities. Epic indeed.
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Lawsuit anyone?
I think a few of the posters on this Page might be the same guy. If you look at them pointing out and doubting the 5 stars yet you don't doubt or mention the fact that all the Negative reviews are posted on the same day. Isn't that fishee? What many people don;t know is that Astro-turfing is illegal theses days. And extortion can land you in jail other than posting false reviews about your competitor on websites. The whole world is being effected by these fake Profiles. If I owned a sight I would have the Members verify themselves with a credit card to keep out multiple false Profiles from being made and catching the criminal if they commit something. Its just too easy to launch a web attack these days... If the company was crooked they be out of business or in jail by now. I shouldn't have to say that, you shouldn't believe everything you read.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/24/yelp-class-action-lawsuit/
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Re: Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
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People in over seas pull down dictators by putting their lives on the line, why can't we have an organized demonstration to bring light and attention to this?
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Re: Got Scammed also, please help
I just want my harddrive back at this point.
But he's not responding.
What can I do?
Please help.
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Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
After they received the abovementioned items, they contacted us stating some functions missing, which however are not even listed in the data-sheet of the goods.
Which is to say that the good description was probably not read before buying it.
They also resented the fact that the goods cost they had paid is lower in Russia and claimed for the price differential to be refunded :)
Epic Data Recovery Labs addressed a complaint to their bank about goods not meeting its characteristics and claimed for the money back.
Inspite of all the documents we provided, the bank refunded the money.
Still Epic Data Recovery never send the goods back. Our numerous demands to send them back met not a single response.
Thus they received their goods and kept its cost ($668).
While contacting Epic Data Recovery we spoke with a certain John.
We have never had such a nervous and insane buyer!
I absolutely advise everyone to keep from dealing this unreliable client! I would say real crooks!
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Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
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Epic Data Recovery Sucks! Do Not Take Your Goods There!
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Do not even think about doing business at EDRL
I had my Mac picked up and the work quoted. It was too much so I immediately said to send it back. I will pay the nominal fee. Then he went down in price (not sure how you can just cut off 50%). I thought about it some more and told him I need to know how much data will be coming off for this arbitrary price. There was latency in the communication and things didn't feel right so I told him to send it back. He then told me (verbatim) "If you do not pay for services rendered within 2 days, I will call the Police (for but not limited to, your acts of:
Coercion; Theft of Service; Larceny (d): By false promise and (e): by extortion; Harassment, etc)." That was somewhat entertaining esp. the extortion part. I've been in business a long time and this isn't exactly retaining or satisfying your customer.
I again clearly told him I would pay the fees and shipping back to me. We went totally off script from there. He accused me of being part of the competition and told me to expect the police. That of course was absurd but since we was no longer lucid and would not communicate, I had to get my lawyer involved.
So if any of this sounds familiar, I feel for ya. Hopefully you will do a better job than I did in my research - and if by reading this you have decided not to deal with this character - chalk it up as a win.
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ALL the Negative reviews on this thread are FAKE Reviews posted by Lying Extortionist and Corp. Sabotage Terrorists, via Sockpuppet Accounts.
The initial Post was posted by a rogue competitor in Brooklyn New York, then fueled by this webpage's author and Sockpuppet accounts in order to create Defamatory Propaganda against EDRL.
The recent posts and comments posted this year (2013) have been posted by co-conspiring Criminal psychopaths.
"Toya" has posted an arsenal of Illegal and Defamatory false reviews all over the internet. The Websites Admins that can keep up with her attack have repeatedly removed her arsenal of malicious fake reviews.
This is to alert every one that this poster and her accomplices are all Criminals and should not be trusted.
They are compulsive/pathological lying manipulative terrorists who try to extort services/money from you, other than attempt to destroy your reputation out of sheer malice and retaliation for not complying with their illegal/psychotic demands.
The "Toya" review poster's past contact details:
Toya Menzie;
237 west 115th street, Apt 2B; New York, NY 10026
Phone number: 248.872.8374
Email: Menzieto@gmail.com
We suspect that some of the reviewers are part of a group that has been trying to extort money from us by means of a modern-day Protection-Racket. Other than attempt to destroy our reputation in order to divert business to rogue Competitors.
If she was a true customer and in her right-mind she would know the real names of our Owner or Representatives. She clearly doesn't have a clue.
Yelp has repeatedly removed an arsenal of her (and her accomplices') rabid/idiotic reviews. So she is now trying to use this and any other website instead.
These reviews clearly violate several parts of this website's "Terms of Service"; yet it still remains posted.
It is clear to us that the persistence of your Operations Department and appearance company Author have acted with sheer malice. We will investigate any relationship you may have with the initial Perpetrator, and if we confirm that you have conspired with him in any way we will come after you legally (Civilly and Criminal).
In short: This Website is aiding and abetting Criminals and their acts of: Extortion, Coercion, Racketeering (Protection Racket), Aggravated Harassment, Larceny, Menacing, Stalking, etc, (in part).
We demand that this and any other fake comments be archived for legal use and be REMOVED from your website IMMEDIATELY.
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BTW: Pardon the typos in the previous Post.
It is clear that the persistence of Techdirt.com's Operations Department and apparent (Techdirt.com) Author have acted with sheer malice. We will investigate any relationship Techdirt.com may have/had with the initial perpetrator, and if we confirm that Techdirt.com had conspired with him in any way, we will press any applicable Criminal Charges against all involved Parties other than seek restitution for damages.
We have been forced to post this response, since Techdirt.com has allowed these defamatory and illegal comments to remain. We never told any of our Customers that we wished to discuss anything online nor gave any waiver to allow them to engage in this form of communication.
================
As for the comment from “Den”:
That is false defamatory-propaganda posted by an Extortionist who is trying to destroy EDRL’s reputation and integrity in retaliation for not complying with their criminal demands.
I hope that the readers can appreciate the level of stupidity this man and his company possess.
Where he has the audacity to go as far as to publicly reveal his wrong-doing. Where our Bank had determined that we were at Right to demand a refund and they justifiably reversed the payment because what he (and his company) did was wrong.
Just so you know, ".. not meeting its characteristics .." translated in English means the $500 dollar Fisher-Price wannabee tool, randomly erases critical stored data, other than flat-out and solely displaying "ERROR".....
We finally got instructions from the MFG on how to reset it (no thanks to him) only to find out that it deletes everything stored. -- After the 3rd reset, it detects nothing (when before it did). This thing is not even fit as a movie-prop or kids toy.
As for the other Item, it's gives you a bunch of random stupid false-Positives. A make-pretend Tool (if you will). A tool for 8 year-old children to impress Techie friends.
--
We sent numerous requests and offers to return the faulty-Items to him; but instead he flat out ignored our requests.
Only later when he realized that our US Bank would not tolerate his Mail-Fraud, he emails us admitting that he ignored our grounded-requests and demands that we (pay to) now send him the defective items back!;
OR ELSE HE WILL ATTACK OUR COMPANY via this defamatory propaganda attack (here and any other website) online, via Disinformation / Blacklisting, etc..
In sum:
Denis Bogdanov (from Dosimeter4you.com) (a.k.a.: "Den") who posted this false disinformative comment, is an Extortionist Criminal, pulling Bate-and-Switch/Protection Racket schemes, by selling faulty electronics.
If anyone is interested in knowing what garbage he is selling and what he sold us, I would be more than happy to post a video on YouTube as proof.
He is trying to retaliate by attempting to sabotage and defame us online for reporting him to our BANK and the Attorney General's office.
He has been hitting us with an arsenal of prank/harassing phone calls and emails.
He is violating several US Consumer Privacy Rights other than committing several criminal acts including, but not limited to: Extortion, Conspiracy, Coercion, False advertising, Mail fraud, Racketeering, Aggravated Harassment, Stalking, Industrial Sabotage, etc.
We have contacted the Police, FTC, Attorney General's Office and we are taking him, his Scam-Company and all related Henchmen to Court.
-
His Comment OBVIOUSLY violates TechDirt.com’s Terms of Service, yet somehow it remains posted. His comment should not have been approved, nor should it remain posted.
For anyone interested, here is this idiot’s information:
(Supposed US Location which seems to be a false-front):
Mr. Denis Bogdanov
Russian Dosimeters, Inc.
30 Panas Road Suite #EB687269
Foxboro, MA 02035-1072
USA
(Russian Location):
Dosimeter4you
Sokolova, 80
Rostov-on-Don
Rostov. obl. 344000
Russia
http://www.dosimeter4you.com
-
Denis Bogdanov (at Dosimeter4you) is a Scam-Artist with no regard for the Law or for what he sells. He is truly delusional and "insane".
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Re: Do not even think about doing business at EDRL
Don't listen to him.
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Re: Epic Data Recovery Sucks! Do Not Take Your Goods There!
A perfect example why Detroit's economy went downhill.
She is a pathological lying psychopath/stalker that has no regard for integrity or the Law. Nor does she posses any common sense.
Using the word "She" to refer to this thug is an insult Women. Therefore, It is an inhuman Terrorist that will lie to anyone, and say whatever double-talk it takes in order to manipulate people or attack someone's integrity.
Please refer to our response below for more info about this vagabond criminal troll.
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Re: Re: Got Scammed also, please help
Don't listen to him.
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Re: Re: Re: Got Scammed also, please help
The reviews are not fake. Given a bit of research, you can clearly see that everyone has jobs and in no way works for your "rogue competitors". We simply don't like your business practices and are voicing our concerns online. I personally vetted a few complaints and even made contact with them.
Again,
WARNING: vet this company carefully. I wish I would have done that a bit more. Alas...
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For the sake of the Readers and defending this Company's reputation/Integrity, you force us to have to respond to your continued idiotic/defamatory comments.
that you will be able to manipulate their perception/common-sense with your idiotic double-talk debate/rebuttal.
For the sake of the Readers and helping you virtually hang-yourself (reputation-wise) by exposing your true-self,
I will address your idiotic, defamatory, and disinformation propaganda which you posted in your response (above):
"Odd way in handling complaints"?
When a Criminal (like you) makes an attempt to Rob a Bank and he is on-the-run, the Police are not going to engage in
an online debate as to why you were ("innocently") holding a gun to the Teller's head, and entertain your delusional
false-sense of power in manipulation. Nor is the Bank going to consider reading and responding to your publiclly
posted online-survey of how you think the Bank Staff treated you when you tried to Rob their Bank.
(e.g. They shouted too loudly when you pointed a gun to them; or they didn't give crisp Hundreds, etc.
You are the epitome of a Thug. A FLAT-OUT PATHOLOGICAL LYING Idiot/Extortionist, and we can prove it.
You are so stupid that you knowingly engage in this criminal behavior while being a "representative" of some sort
of online-marketing Company. Now either they are oblivious to your double-thug-life and malisious intent;
or perhaps that is your business model. We here couldn't care less.
In regards to your attack against our integrity: It takes one to know one.
For you to suggest that these obviously fake sock-puppet defamatory-propaganda reviews are real and factual,
shows your true-colors and malicious intent.
--
Just because someone claims they work for a unrelated Company (e.g. Acme Paper. Inc.), doesn't mean that they actually do;
and even if they do (in some way) work for that (non-relative) Company, that doesn't mean that they cannot have friends,
friends of friends, or coworker's in the IT/Data Recovery Industry who would have an interest in annoying and sabotaging
the business of a competitor out of Jealousy, or some sick/twisted form of entertainment... (e.g. Pranks).
Others than the sheer malicious intent of an Extortionist retaliating against their victim for not complying with their criminal demands.
Almost everyone knows that Data Recovery is not cheap (as Brain Surgery isn't either).
AND DESPERATE PEOPLE DO DESPERATE THINGS to try to get the lowest possible price for the Data Recovery.
Most of the time they try to Haggle as if they are buying a fake designer Bag in China-town; and if that doesn't work
people (like you) try to Coerce/Extort the Service as a last resort.
THE INTERESTING THING IN YOUR CASE IS THAT, YOU WERE GIVEN A DIRT-CHEAP OFFER. AND NOW YOU CLAIM YOU HAVE A GOOD JOB.
Yet, you rather play this stupid Extortion-Racket scheme when you claim you got a "50%" discount? Really?
Doesn't that "point to something else entirely". I shouldn't have to point out that your posts virtually SCREAM "Rogue-Competitor".
Either what you did was a Calculated Conspiracy to maliciously attack this Company's Integrity;
and/or this is simply your retaliation since your attempts of Extortion and Coercion didn't fly the way
your pin-head brain thought it would. This isn't our first Rodeo.
At the moment dealing with REAL/Genuine Customer Cases and trying to help them is our First Priority,
other than having Bigger-Rogue Fish-To-Fry. Rest assured that we will address all Criminal intent
in their respected time and priority.
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Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
And I guess I'm supposed to be offended that he put my email and mailing address online. I'm going to need him to make up his mind. Am I a thug from Detroit or do I live in NYC. If you are going to lie on someone's character…please stick with the same one.
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Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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Re: Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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The reply above is not my description of what happened
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Re: Re: Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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Re: Re: Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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Epic Data Recovery Labs
After reading through all the posts I decided to add my two cents to the equation. I have gone through pretty much the exact same nightmare as those who have posted negative albeit accurate accounts of their dealings with this particular outfit. As the sufferer of a damaged hard drive with the need to have it repaired and/or recovered in terms of data, I sought out the services of EDRL on the basis of the few rave reviews I saw posted, along with the seemingly reasonable cost for their service as compared to other data recovery firms. Lo and behold to my great dismay I found out too late that I walked into the "lion's den". What followed was an endless barrage on ignored emails, phone calls, etc. On the rare occasion that an email was answered with the date or time when I should expect a call from John, who is the name of the person I had to deal with throughout this ordeal, it was never adhered to. I have been raised to understand a person is only as good as his/her word. In any case after 7 months of this and finding out that basically very little progress was achieved, I decided to end the onslaught, sacrifice the $150 initial fee and chalk it up to experience. I also decided to report my experience to the Better Business Bureau at which point the threatening emails began. I was accused of being a con man, sociopath, extortionist, etc. who had committed a breach of contract. The facts I submitted with the BBB were said to be Exaggerated, Ungrounded, Conspired, Constructed, Malicious, Manipulative, Twisted Propaganda. Here is a portion of his response:
Let me (sarcastically) get this straight:
> 1. We designed the Hard Drive and Laptop.
> 2. We dropped or mishandled it after we bought it.
> 3. We need to be at your Beck-and-Call and respond to every
> Exaggerated, Ungrounded, Conspired, Constructed, Malicious, Manipulative,
> Twisted Propaganda Email stab you or anyone sends us.
> 4. We as a Company need to respond to every FRIVOLOUS (TALKING OUT OF YOUR
> A$$) email we receive.
> 5. We as a Company should allow Customer's to pull CON GAMES/Extortion
> Schemes
> (TO GET FREE / EXPEDITED SERVICES / ETC) on us
> and humor their Frivolous/False accusations by playing the villain they
> try to make us out to be.
> -
> But seriously, at what point did I tell you that I am an idiot?
> When I initially met you, you did not tell me that you suffer from a
> mental deficit or ailment.
> You seemed normal to me, yet you now say my emails are
> "... suggesting you are doing me a favor".
>
> Did you actually pay us for the Months of effort and labor we put into
> your Case?
> Did we ask you to pay us for the labor spent (if we were not successful)?
> You call that rude? You call your demands and accusations nice?
> You are the one who is Condescending and Rude.
> +Pretentious with a false/twisted sense of reality.
>
> Your behavior would be better described as one of a self-serving
> Conning/Manipulative/Delusional Sociopath with a Grandiose Sense of Self.
> Check your self before you start pointing fingers;
> You should respect those who are courteous and who give you the time of
> day (or Months) as a FAVOR!
> Let me ask you a question, do you shoot your Doctor if he cannot cure you
> of Cancer or bring someone out of a Coma? Is that how your Logic works?
> -
> By you sending your Defamatory / Propaganda email to the BBB you have
> violated our Service Agreement, Non-Disclosure Agreement in part, and our
> Contact.
> Which is, but not limited to, a Breach of Contract.
> --
> Consider this as a Preliminary CEASE AND DESIST NOTICE/DEMAND.
>
> We demand that you take a step back, consider what you are accusing us
> of, Correct your report to the BBB and withdraw your FALSE Complaint with
> them.
> Per our Contract, IF ANY OUR COMMUNICATION/AGREEMENT IS MADE PUBLIC BY YOU
> OR THIRD PARTY and/or (in part) you engage in making Defamatory/Propaganda
> statements about us to anyone, in ANY form of communication (Verbal,
> Written, etc..), we have the right to file a Lawsuit against you, other
> than contacting the Police to investigate any relative/applicable Criminal
> charges that can be brought up against you (e.g. Extortion/Abuse).
>
> I would strongly suggest you contact an attorney (in private) to clarify
> the Contracts that you have agreed to.
> Please Note: ("Ignorantia juris non excusat")
> Ignorance of a Law is not a valid or acceptable excuse in a Court of Law.
> You can't make-pretend you didn't read the Contract that you signed or
> claim you couldn't reference it all these months.
> -
> For now we will investigate and calculate any applicable damages.
> We will respond within 30 days.
My response:
My conscience is clear and I have absolutely no regrets for stating the facts. I've been through too much and seen
too much injustice to let the likes of you scare me.
If you want to open up a can of worms rather than to simply
> return my hard drive, than go ahead. I will fight you tooth and nail. I
> welcome the opportunity to make it public, and expose you.
____________________________________________________________
In any case, to all persons considering the services of EDRL I must reiterate and sum it up with one statement. CAVEAT EMPTOR
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Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
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Re: Re: Got Scammed also, please help
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Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Do NOT do business with Epic Data Recovery
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Finally some justice
/// DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH EPIC DATA RECOVERY LABS ///
If you feel you have been scammed by this person like me, please reach out. I can forward your name to the detective.
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Re: Finally some justice
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Re: Re: Epic Data Recovery Labs
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Why so much sleaziness among data recovery companies??
I'd like to know why there seems to be so much sleaziness and lack of professionalism among data recovery companies. I'm currently dealing with one of these for my dead hard drive. Prior to choosing the company I'm using I did online research in order to pick one that was not sleazy, or at least the least sleazy of the bunh.
Apparently that wasn't good enough because I'm already dealing with crap with them.
Why is this? Why is it that these companies seem to be this very unprofessional culture??
In my case, they have
What's up with all this nonsense? They are in a high-tech service sector. Why are they behaving like used car salesman??
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